Approximately 110 seventh grade students along with six science teachers from the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders will visit Texas State University Wednesday, Oct. 1 to participate in the SMART Kids program at Aquarena Center.

SMART stands for “Stewards Mentoring Aquatic Resource Treasures.” The SMART Kids program is conducted by Aquarena’s professional interpretive tour guides and various student and community volunteer mentors, including the student chapter of the Wildlife Society, Hays County Master Naturalists and AgriLife (formerly known as Agricultural Extension Service). The visit is sponsored by the San Marcos Lions Club in cooperation with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Community Outdoor Outreach Program.

Students will start off at Aqurena Center , where they will obtain a historical overview of the importance of Spring Lake. The headwaters of the San Marcos River, the Spring Lake area has been continuously inhabited for more than 12,000 years and is now home to some of the eight endangered species found only in the habitat of Spring Lake and portions of the San Marcos River.

After the boat ride, participants will interact with interpretive tour guides and female faculty and students who will engage the Ann Richards School students in experiential activities designed to encourage students to become conscientious environmental stewards. After two hours of environmental education programs, the students will picnic in the Pecan Grove before moving on for a tour of the Texas State campus.

For this special visit, various female guest presenters have been recruited to interact with the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders to share their stories and describe organizations they belong to, including the student chapter of the Society for Women Engineers, physics graduate students and faculty from the computer science and technology departments.

This group of 7th graders are college bound and chose to participate in the program because of the emphasis on STEM discipline subjects: science, engineering, technology and math.
For information, contact Jane Moore at (512) 245-7513.